Liverpool Football Club are seething after the FA ruled Luis Suarez guilty of racial abuse and handed an 8 game ban.
The ban is suspended whilst the reds decide whether to appeal in the next 14 days. The ban will be effective for all competitions.
Assuming the ban is implemented in 14 days time, Luis will miss 5 Premier League games including the visit of Spurs, the FA Cup 3rd round tie and both legs of the League Cup semi final. The final game of his ban, surprise surprise, would be the Man Utd away game.
The game at the beginning of November against Man Utd saw no other player hear any offensive remarks, no complains to the referee during or in the immediate aftermath of the game, and no television footage being seen of the remarks.
In a statement in which Liverpool Football Club said they were ‘very surprised and disappointed’, the club went on to say:
We find it extraordinary that Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone when no-one else on the field of play – including Evra’s own Manchester United teammates and all the match officials – heard the alleged conversation between the two players in a crowded Kop goalmouth while a corner kick was about to be taken.
The Club takes extremely seriously the fight against all forms of discrimination and has a long and successful track record in work relating to anti-racist activity and social inclusion. We remain committed to this ideal and equality for all, irrespective of a person’s background.
LFC considers racism in any form to be unacceptable – without compromise. It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that Luis Suarez did not commit any racist act. It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible – certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations.
It is key to note that Patrice Evra himself in his written statement in this case said ‘I don’t think that Luis Suarez is racist’. The FA in their opening remarks accepted that Luis Suarez was not racist.
Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black. He has been personally involved since the 2010 World Cup in a charitable project which uses sport to encourage solidarity amongst people of different backgrounds with the central theme that the colour of a person’s skin does not matter; they can all play together as a team.
He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends.
It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented. We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suarez has been characterised.
It appears to us that the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November. Nothing we have heard in the course of the hearing has changed our view that Luis Suarez is innocent of the charges brought against him and we will provide Luis with whatever support he now needs to clear his name.
We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms. Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult.
Liverpool are considering their options, and it will also be up to Luis Suarez to consider possible personal legal proceedings against defamation of his name and potential damage to future earnings.
This story is unlikely to melt in to the background.
The ” stop crying about it” comment is not aimed at you in particular, but, Liverpool fans in general. The F.A as you will probably know work on the balance of probabilities and the Courts on the burden of absolute proof. In either case he would be found guilty as the only evidence available is from Evra and Suarez. The F.A have found Suarez guilty based solely on the testimony he gave at the hearing. Therefore he has admitted it and if he does the same in any court he will be found guilty.
Who’s crying? Sounds like you’re the one doing the crying here, I’m merely casting an opinion. You’re right about Suarez being found guilty, however, the evidence is very thin at best. So much so that this case would not stand up in a court of law and it is my opinion that is where this will end up. Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt? I don’t think so. Is it a fact he racially abused Evra 10 times or is that fantasy? No team mate of Evra heard it and no official heard anything either. As mentioned, the evidence is exceptionally thin. In addition, there are the cultural nuances that have been grossly overlooked here. John Barnes, a player that suffered more abuse than Evra will ever know about even suggested Suarez is not a racist. I also agree with Digger when he suggested where do we draw the line? Will you make 5000 citizens arrests the next time Manchester United Fans call us ‘Scouse Bastards’? Discrimination is discrimination, however, people like to beleive that racism is worse than any other form of discrimination which clearly it shouldn’t be.
I also forgot to mention that Luis Suarez’s grandfather is Black.
The fact that Suarez’s Grandfather was black is no defence to him being racist. The fact that your half Irish is of no relevance to anything. The fact that you cant remember, ever, not being mocked for being diminutive in stature on the pitch and doing nothing about it says something about you. You contradict yourself. I can abuse you, your family, your height, with out fear of repercussions because I will by you a pint in the bar after the match!
Firstly, the gent that replied to my original post suggested that Suarez should care more about the ‘lower castes’. Well by virtue of the fact that Suarez has a black grandfather does that not make him intimately part of so called lower castes? Why would he discriminate against his own heritage?
The second point I’m trying to make here is where do you draw the line? Discrimination is discrimination. The fact is, I wouldn’t try and get a fellow professional into trouble because he called me a name. Big deal. You’re right though. The fact that I never complained about being called small does say something about me. It says that I was a focussed professional, ignoring the ‘sticks and stones’ comments and getting on with my job. If I got called an ‘effing little whatever’ then so what? Patrice Evra is a snake of a man who led the french revolt against his own coach at the world cup. Characters like him will bring this game down, not Suarez.
“why would Suarez discriminate against his own heritage” He has and been found guilty of doing so! Evra informed the ref and Suarez that he was unhappy about it yet he continued and repeated it 10 times. I have heard so called English footballers who have Irish Grandparents call Irish players bog-trotters and spud-pickers.
I understand you played the game and got on with things but that was probably in a different era. I am 44 and when I was young Bernard Manning was about and popular. We either stamp racism out or we dont- which way do you want it? If anything LFC have advised the player poorly so you have to stop crying about it and get on with things.
With all due respect Luis Suarez had nothing to do with anything that happened in the past. I’m sure he wasn’t personally responsible for those atrocities. Again, I’d ask how is it different to any other form of discrimination? I’ve played with many Irish footballers down the years. I’ve heard people call them ‘Effing Paddies’ and other derogatory terms, which the Irish guys themselves just laughed off. Were Irish people persecuted? Were they considered ‘lower castes’? In Britain we once had a term ‘No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish’ so I think it’s fair to say there was a wee bit of persecution too. I’m half Irish myself.
The problem as always with LFC and their fans is, its never their fault.
As a former professional player of a rather diminutive stature, I find all of this racism stuff quite sickening. I can’t remember an occasion when I didn’t get mocked, teased or dare I say ‘abused’ because I was small. Are racist slurs any worse because they are racist? In my opinion they are not. Discrimination is discrimination. I was discriminated against because I was small. There is nothing I can do about that, just as there is nothing a black person can do about being black. Being small is part of my heritage, no doubt I inherited my smallness from my equally small parents. Hence, if you mock my stature you mock my heritage, my family don’t you? Did I run to the FA every time someone called me a name? No I didn’t I accepted it and got on with the game. The difference here is that I played the game in an era when fellow professionals genuinely cared about each other. I could have made complaints, but I didn’t hold something said in the heat of the moment against a fellow pro in that way. We were all trying to pay the mortgage at the end of the day, regardless of the shirt we pulled on. Evra’s complaints say more about him than Suarez. They show what a pampered, spoiled, greedy bunch footballers have become. What’s happened to grown men resuming their differences over a beer after the game? Sad state of affairs this game I love.
You’d have a point if small people were ever prosecuted for being small. With the history of ethnic cleansings on “negro’s” and “indio’s” in Uruguay one would expect mr Suarez to tread carefully…Or maybe he just doesn’t care about the “lower castes”
You are missing the point. Suarez and Liverpool didn’t make a complaint so United have and Evra have no case to answer. United and Evra made the complaint and therefore the case has to be answered. If Suarez had denied making the comments it would be one man’s word against the other. Suarez in his defence at the F.A. has obviously testified and been found guilty on his own testimony and declarations.
This just looks like a witch hunt YET AGAIN against LFC PLAYERS. No 0ne apart from Evra heard or complained about this and yet again one of our most prolific players gets banned. I honestly do not see how Louis can get this kind of treatment it is diabolitical to say the least. If Terry does not get even longer then it must and can only be seen that he is the ENGLAND CPT.
It beggers belief that it took this long to start the enquiry and take this long to come to a decision yet Terry’s is taking longer as the CPS are yet to decide on things. How come they werent involved in Suarez case then? It is a load of BULL S**T yet again as we are finally on our way up so lets punish our best player and further more limit LFC to the success that we finally deserve after years of more than vey much disapointment for us avid fans.
All I can say is that the two out of the three board memebers that found Louis guilty are obviously fans of a ceratain two teams that are above us and struggling who are affraid we will overtake them. Hey never mind we will overtake you soon enough and take our place as the rightfull TRUE CHAMPIONS OF THE LEAGUE. LOUIS SUAREZ YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE & WE ARE ALL VERY MUCH BEHIND YOU.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha you good sir are an idiot.
So let’s gets this straight: A body language expert says Luis is not guilty; A bi-linguist says Luis is not guilty; Nobody in the box during a (crowded) corner heard a racist comment… but Luis is found guilty… On Evra’s word alone. Interesting. That pretty much mean’s John Terry’s going to jail right?
Evra’s word alone? are you a complete tool! Suarez admitted to calling him it!?
It’s a bias decision by FA! why not to Evra??
8 games + 62k fined, it’s a double punishment.
The fight against racism has a a new enemy, Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish.
Ithink the fa have made a mistake with this and its going to rebound on them
when evra said he insulted suarez in spanish why did the fa not charge him,when he said he didnt think suarez was racist why did he put complaint in , if he thought suarez used racist terms then he would ov said he is a racist surely.i think this was evra using the racist card like in the past and the fa have backed him,i also think this playing of the racist card will do more harm than good in the fight against racism.
Why have they now removed the statement ?????????????/
They haven’t. They changed the url. It’s still up on the official LFC website.